Most buyers underestimate how long a purchase takes — and then spend the whole process feeling behind. In 2026 the realistic figure is 12 to 16 weeks from offer accepted to completion on a freehold house, and 16 to 20 weeks on a leasehold flat. A chain-free purchase with a cash buyer can complete in eight to ten weeks. Add a long chain, a leasehold title and a slow local authority search, and five or six months is entirely normal.
Here is what actually happens in that time, stage by stage, and where the weeks disappear.
This stage is the one buyers control completely, and it is the cheapest time to save weeks. Get a mortgage agreement in principle, gather your proof of identity and address, evidence your deposit source, and have your last three months of payslips and bank statements to hand. With the Bank of England base rate held at 3.75% in September 2026 and average two- and five-year fixed rates sitting in the mid-5% range, rate offers move quickly — a buyer who is ready can lock in, and a buyer who is not often ends up re-applying at a worse rate.
Once your offer is accepted, the agent issues a memorandum of sale to both solicitors. You will complete client care paperwork and anti-money-laundering identity checks, and usually pay money on account for searches. Buyers who have already chosen a conveyancer before offering can compress this stage to a few days; buyers who start shopping around for quotes at this point routinely lose two weeks.
This is the longest and most variable stage. Your conveyancer orders local authority, drainage and environmental searches — turnaround varies enormously between councils, from a few days to well over a month. In parallel, your lender instructs a valuation and you decide whether to commission a HomeBuyer report or full building survey.
The seller's solicitor sends the contract pack, including the property information form and fittings and contents form. Your solicitor then raises enquiries. Additional enquiries are the single biggest cause of delay in 2026, commonly adding two to four weeks — particularly where there is missing building regulations sign-off, an unregistered boundary, a historic extension, or a management company that is slow to return a leasehold information pack.
Exchange happens once searches and enquiries are satisfied, your mortgage offer is issued, buildings insurance is arranged and — crucially — every party in the chain is ready on the same day. Until you exchange, either side can walk away. After exchange, the completion date is legally binding and your deposit is at risk if you pull out.
Most chains allow one to two weeks between exchange and completion so removals, mortgage drawdown and key handover can be co-ordinated. Some parties exchange and complete on the same day, which is fast but leaves no margin if funds arrive late. On completion day your solicitor sends the money, the seller's lender is redeemed, the agent releases the keys, and your Stamp Duty Land Tax return is filed within 14 days.
Instruct a conveyancer before you make an offer, not after. Ask the agent to confirm the seller's position and the length of the chain in writing before you commit. Return every form and identity request the day it lands. If you are selling as well, prepare your own contract pack and certificates early so you are never the link that holds everyone up. And ask your agent how actively they chase the chain — proactive chain management is the difference between a 14-week purchase and a 24-week one.
Thinking about buying or selling this autumn? Book a free valuation with Giles Real Estates, or browse property for sale to see what is available now.